There is something undeniably cool about having a private bar at home, ready for those times when you want to show off your mixology skills at a dinner party, or even if you just want to fix a quiet nightcap. In our July issue, our panel of experts – designer Candace Campos, Liquor & Liqueur’s general manager Joanna Françoise Kent, and Duddell’s salon manager Mark Jenner showed us how with just a few essentials, you can mix classic cocktails like a pro.

In this online exclusive, Joanna tells us more about how to pick spirits for the home bar, and share her recommendations for those who want to go beyond the basics.

Joanna manages the Liquor & Liqueur store, and the hidden bar 001 beneath the shop. She worked behind the bar while she was at university, but never in anything sophisticated, says Joanna. When she finished her studies in Glasgow and moved to Edinburgh, she started working and training at a little bar called Bramble, which, at the time, was ranked among the top 10 cocktail bars in the world. Here, Joanna talks about…

… gin
I used to run a gin bar so I’m a bit of a gin geek. In terms of accommodating both people like myself, and others who are just approaching gin, Martin Miller’s Westbourne is probably one of the best for that. It’s light cucumber, and has grapefruit as well – it’s very balanced and not too juniper-heavy – perfect in Martinis or a gin and tonic. I also like things like Sipsmith, William Chase and I love Beefeater Crown Jewel. Citadelle is also a nice, beginner gin with a lemon twist. There’s also Bar Hill, which only has two botanicals in it. Normally, the smallest number of botanicals a gin would have is probably four, and it could go up to 26. The founder used to be a beekeeper, and decided to try and make a gin with honey. It’s gorgeous – juniper berries and honey and the only two botanicals. It’s 45 percent alcohol but you’d think it was 30 percent because it’s so smooth. There’s also a new gin that’s coming into the market here called The West Winds The Cutlass, which is also really, really good. There are literally hundreds of gins. You could also go with jenever (a traditional liquor from Holland, where gin comes from), which is more malty.

… vodka
Ketel One is a nice standard. Another that’s quite new to our market is Boyd & Blair, which is a great potato-based vodka. I tend to like potato-based vodka because it’s quite creamy and has a really solid mouthfeel – it doesn’t feel very watery. It’s also a lot more mellow, and very smooth going down – great for Martinis are even just for drinking it straight.

… rum
I like ones that are around the five-year age – English Harbour is one of my favourite old-school rums. Plantation’s selection of rums is amazing: their five-years Barbados is great, Jamaican, which I think was released in 2002, is also fantastic. I quite like Gosling’s Black Seal – it’s perfect for a dark and stormy, but you can also get the reserve which is a lot more rich and fancy. They’re fun upgrades that you can play around with.

… tequila
Don Julio’s great, but there are a lot of other brands entering the market here, too. Gran Centenario is one that I’ve always loved but I don’t see it that often in Hong Kong. When I was in the shop one day, an old Mexican man came in and pointed at a bottle of Gran Centenario and said, This is what we all drink. I was so pleased with myself.

… whisky
There’s an endless supply – it’s good to have a couple from each region, and the trend now is to have a few Japanese bottles. In the emerging markets, Sullivan’s Cove in Tasmania is a great new whisky. If I could use Nikka From the Barrel, I would in a heartbeat, but if someone’s just going to pour Coke into it, it’d be such a waste. An upgrade from Johnny Walker blends would be Cutty Sark and The Naked Grouse.

… brandy
For me, brandy’s not so essential unless I’m making endless amounts of blue blazers, but I don’t fancy setting myself on fire. But, if you have a guest who’s visting and appreciates a nice Armagnac, it’s always nice to have a bottle. There’s a lovely one called Le Folle Blanche – a very young bottle and not very expensive, but it doesn’t seem to be available anymore in Hong Kong.

… what she drinks
I’m quite classic, and negroni is one of my favourite drinks. I’ve always been a massive gin person and I love bitters. My mother used to take me to Italy a lot when I was young, and she always used to drink sanbitter – it’s my classic aperitif and makes me very happy. I could also never say no to a gin and tonic. Whisky – I like it just straight or a whisky soda or sour. With vodka, it has to be Bloody Mary – it’s my Sunday drink, or when I’m hungover and need to be saved – something really spicy and salty does the trick. I used to make one with beef bourguignon stock, and also did another with green gazpacho – it tasted almost like pesto. I love tequila and tonic or tequila and Ting – a Carribean grapefruit soft drink. Tequila is one of the only alcohols that’s an upper rather than downer, so if you’re a bit tired or have had a big meal, order a tequila and tonic.

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